A new centre for budding entrepreneurs could create 40 new businesses and more than 60 jobs in part of Northumberland with the lowest start-up rate of new firms.

The Northumbria Centre for Enterprise, at Lintonville, Ashington, has been built with the help of £3m from the partnership behind it, including One NorthEast, the European Regional Development Fund and the Northumberland Strategic Partnership.

The centre is intended to be a flagship enterprise project to increase the number of business start-ups and improve the productivity of small businesses in the former coalfield area. John Litherland, executive director at NSP, said: "Not only is the centre set to create over 60 jobs, but it is also tackling the issue of the decreasing number of business start-ups within Wansbeck, which currently has the lowest rates of start-ups in Great Britain."